“Six friends. One storm. A secret to die for…

We arrived at the beautiful, sprawling Spanish villa ready to celebrate – over twenty years of friendship, and of course, Alexis’s big birthday. It’s paradise. Alexis has pulled out all the stops, and like always, I know we’re meant to be grateful…

But the tensions begin on the very first night.

The workaholic slipping off to take mysterious calls. The people pleaser afraid to speak out. The quiet observer snidely analysing every move we make. The former life of the party knocking back wine to forget it all. Even I, the peacekeeper, have secrets…

And of course, Alexis, the Queen Bee – furious that, as a summer storm descends, her perfect trip isn’t working out like she planned… Her fury makes it feel like she’s hiding something. Like her schemes are unravelling…

I thought our secrets finally emerging might be the biggest threat on this trip. But on the last night, I wake up on the cold floor of the locked wine cellar, a knife clutched in my hand and Alexis’s body unmoving beside me.

I want to scream, to cry, to run, but with the floodwater rising, we’re trapped. My friends all think I killed her. But I know I didn’t, which means someone else here did…

An addictive, deliciously juicy and twisty psychological thriller that will have you turning the pages late into the night. Perfect for fans of The Wives, The Holiday and One of the Girls.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Just Between Us by Barbara Copperthwaite. Just Between Us was published by Bookouture on 30th March 2026 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of Just Between Us but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Sarah at Bookouture for inviting me to join the blog tour.

A new book from Barbara Copperthwaite is a very exciting prospect indeed. I’ve been a fan of this author’s books for ten years now, and I look forward to each and every new release. Just Between Us was no different. It’s a thrilling tale of toxic friendships, deeply buried secrets and how, on a holiday to celebrate Queen Bee Alexis’s 40th birthday, those secrets and resentments couldn’t be contained any longer. When Polly comes too in the wine cellar of the Spanish mountainside villa the group of friends are staying in, she is alarmed to discover she is not alone. Beside her lies the very dead body of her best friend for over thirty years, Alexis. The other women attending the birthday celebrations finally break through the locked door into the cellar to discover the horrifying truth: Alexis is no more. With no memory of what happened, even kind-hearted Polly can’t be sure of the truth. Did she kill Alexis? Could she kill Alexis? With a dramatic turn in the Spanish weather, one thing is certain. Soon the group will be trapped and alone in the isolated Spanish villa. Miles from help and at the hands of an unknown killer…

Just Between Us puts a group of women, who perhaps shouldn’t be friends, under the microscope. The surface layer is slowly scratched away showing the characters’ true colours, how they really feel about each other, and what terrible secrets they’ve been keeping hidden over the years. It’s highly compelling, utterly intriguing and nigh-on impossible to tear yourself away from. If, like me, you’re a fan of psychological thrillers where the characters are strong and intricately drawn, this is the book for you. Told from multiple points of view across multiple timelines, the author paints a picture of toxic friendships that perhaps should have crumbled to dust many years ago. Are these women friends because they like each other, or is it more to do with obligation? At the heart of the story is Polly: Alexis’s head cheerleader. Polly always sees the good in her best friend. Never the more…iffy bits? (Alexis is selfish, self-justifying, manipulative, a little vindictive. Did I mention selfish?). Polly is the perfect unreliable narrator and brilliantly written by Copperthwaite. The other women (Annie, Catherine, Selin and Nic) all play their parts well. The characters are unique, and despite there being a fair few of them to keep track of, I was able to easily follow the story and the different relationships.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Just Between Us is an engrossing, character-driven thriller that is packed full of intrigue and mounting dread. The isolated setting, the deepening floodwaters, the knowledge that a killer walks among the group…it’s all superbly written and really heightens the suspense. The plot moves at an engaging, page-turning pace, keeping my attention with each new twist of the tale, each new revelation. Did I work out whodunit? Did I heck! There was one tiny aspect I was able to predict from the moment it was mentioned, but I think that comes from reading FAR too many psychological thrillers (🤭). All in all, Just Between Us is a gripping, compulsive and highly readable psychological drama. Another cracking read from one of my favourite authors. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Just Between Us. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Just Between Us by Barbara Copperthwaite was published in the UK by Bookouture on 30th March 2026 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Barbara is an international bestselling author, whose books have topped Amazon and Kobo, and also appeared on the USA Today chart.

Her contemporary psychological thrillers are published under the name BARBARA COPPERTHWAITE, by Bookouture. As BARBARA HAVELOCKE (published by Hera) she creates dark, tense Gothic historical thrillers set in the early Victorian era. Estella’s Revenge was nominated for the prestigious Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2025.

For over twenty years Barbara wrote for & edited national magazines & newspapers, talking to victims of crime – and its perpetrators. Her fiction reflects this: she creates realistic characters, and often explores moral grey areas.

Barbara is also an artist specialising in animals and nature. She lives in Birmingham, UK, with her partner and their dogs, Scamp, Buddy, and Arty.